Nevermore
by bellahelen101
Summary: I am nevermore. I cannot exist without him. but the others depend on their strong, invincible leader. Me. but I am not here. I am gone to where I had to leave him. Where he left me." WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH
1. The End

It was like walking into a dream. A nightmare. There was blood everywhere. It looked like a bomb went off in the hotel room. My heart was beating so hard that I couldn't hear my own footsteps.

My Flock... I had just left to get some fresh air. I flew to the beach that was only a few miles away. I couldn't have been gone for more than half an hour.

They were gone.

I scanned the room for any clue.

That's when I heard it. Ragged breathing coming from the bathroom. My pulse quickened, adrenaline making me tense. I slowly made my way to the door, kicked it open with my foot.

"Max."

That one word was like a bullet to my chest. He was so weak. He never spoke with that pleading tone. He was the dark, silent, type. He was my best friend, my comrade at arms. I loved him. NO!

"Fang! What happened?" I whispered.

I was in shock, I think. I couldn't process the situation. I knew I should be doing something about the gaping wound in his chest, but I couldn't remember what. All I could do was stare at his face.

Then reality slapped me in the face and I collapsed next to him. I grabbed a towel and tried to stop the bleeding. There was so much blood.

I heard a strange ripping sound... I couldn't process it.

"Max...breathe...you're hyperventilating." Even when Fang was dying, he still told me to cut the crap out.

I did not just think that. Fang was not dying. I told myself that over and over in my head. It was calming in a way. Fang was not going to die because I wished it so.

I tried to stop the ripping sounds coming from my chest.

"Where are the others?" I practically gasped. So much for the strong, invincible, leader. I could feel her urging me to get up, to face this new adversary with a ready heart. But I could not think past the overwhelming fear. No, not Fang, anyone but Fang.

"Too many...others were taken..." Fang whispered.

I tried to staunch the bleeding, but it was like sticking my finger in a river. Blood poured through the towel and my fingers till I was soaked with red. The white of the tile was stained with the dark red.

"Fang, you're going to be okay, you hear me?" I said this mostly to myself, as reassurance.

"Max... I love...you..." His words hit me like a train. Fang would not betray his feelings to anyone, not even me usually. Oh, God, no.

"Fang, don't leave me. You have to help me. I cannot do this without you." I pleaded with him, as if he was choosing to leave me. No, he was being ripped from this world, from me. My sobs grew. "Fang, don't leave me."

Fang looked at me, his eyes boring into mine, even though he was fading.

"Max. Save the others. Save yourself... You'll be okay. For them." He gave me a purpose for after he was gone. That bastard. How could I have a purpose if he was not with me?

he smiled at me, and closed his eyes. NO!

"FANG! Don't give up! I...I love you! I love you and I can't live without you!"

He was already gone. And he took me with him. Part of me left with him, and I never felt whole again.

I don't know how long I sat there. At some point my head ended up on his unmoving chest. I couldn't move. I died along with him.

His request was like a nudge, slowly making me awake from my misery, slowly putting on a mask I would wear for the rest of eternity, until Fang and I were together again.

The Flock needed me. They were alone, without a leader, without me. I slowly rose to my feet, casting one last glance at the shell of my best friend. Then I left the bathroom, and headed for the door. My purpose lead me on a rope.


	2. Concentrate

_Author's Note:_

_thanks for the reviews, AlyNova and Midge. You guys rock, and convinced me to write the next chapter right away! Every review counts, people!!! R&R_

_~Bellahelen_

Breathe in. Breathe out. Flap wings.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Flap wings.

I couldn't think.

I couldn't even think about where to start looking. If Fang hadn't told me to, I would never have gotten up off the floor.

God. God. GOD!

I never prayed. Never. Yet I couldn't stop from silently pleading that it really was a nightmare.

_Max, cut it out and concentrate._

I heard him. I _heard _him.

I spun around in a circle, expecting him to come flying towards me, a smirk on his face. Maybe he was not hurt as badly as I thought...

He wasn't there. I was alone in the sky.

The pain was excruciating. I was sure I heard him.

"Fang." I whispered into the wind, like I thought he was hiding from me. But he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't hurt me like this intentionally.

_MAX! Find them! Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy! They need you!_

I heard him again, but he wasn't there.

I was officially hearing voices in my head. Well, two voices. Great. I think having three people in my head was pushing it, a little. I might spontaneously combust.

Even if it was in my head, his voice helped to ground me. I already felt better. I could think, at least.

I remembered why he died, and why I was searching. We protected The Flock. We were a team, we had each other's backs.

Now It was just me.

Concentrate.

The kids were probably taken to the School. Again. There was no other place they could be, I hoped. California was a long ways away. We were in Florida. I mean, _I _was in Florida.

_Max, use your power, idiot._

"Oh, right." Great. Now I was talking to myself.

I flew west with my super-sonic speed.

I never noticed how boring flying could be. Usually I had company...

Concentrate.

Fang's voice hadn't reappeared, either, so I was all alone.

It felt like I had been flying for a while, but when I checked my watch, it had only been an hour. I was already tired, but I kept pushing myself.

Because my Flock needed me.

I stopped when it got too dark to see my hand in front of my face. After dumpster-diving at a McDonald's, I found a good sized forest with a bird-kid sized tree. Landing lightly on a branch, I slumped against the trunk.

The numbness was returning. I welcomed it. The world was painful without the haze of comfort that it gave me. I settled in to sleep. And couldn't, because whenever I closed my eyes, I saw Fang on the bathroom floor, and his blood seeping over the tiles.

I wrenched my eyes open.

My life was officially hell.

To keep myself from falling asleep, I tried to get Fang's voice to come back.

"Fang, do you think the kids are okay?" no response.

"Fang, who is going to comfort Angel after a bad dream, now? You could help her better than me."

"Fang, why did you guys fight them? Why didn't you run?"

Damn it. I was crying again. I hate crying, even if I have a perfectly legitimate reason.

_Max, shut up and go to sleep._

I stopped mid-sob. Yes!

"Fang, you're back!" I cried joyously. And no, I will never admit that I said anything _joyously. _I'm sure Fang was sniggering at me from wherever he was.

God, I need help. I was comforted by the fact that Fang's voice, which was probably a figment of my imagination, had never left my head. Even when Fang was gone, he didn't leave me.

I closed my eyes again, because I really was tired, and fell asleep.

* * *

_Max, heads up._

I had been flying in a stupor, unable to think again.  
I looked down, and already, California was below me.

"How fast have I been flying?" it had taken me only a few hours of flying time to get here, not including the time I slept.

Fang didn't answer.

He's dead, I told myself fiercely. He is not here to answer me.

I was getting a little freaked at my thoughts.

My grief for Fang was getting overshadowed by my desire to hear his voice again. It was going to catch up with me sooner or later, though. Fang's voice just gave me a respite, gave me the strength needed to continue on my flight.

The school zoomed into view. I slowed, and dropped to a cliff to do some surveillance.

"What do you think, Fang?" It was weird asking him this question. Usually he could just tell what I was thinking, before I even needed to say anything. He would already have answered.

He didn't answer now.

God, God, God, God, God.

_Concentrate._

"I'm trying." I told him desperately.

I looked at the warehouse that held the fear and pain of my childhood. The School. The Flock was in there.

I took a deep breath, then jumped off the cliff. There were cameras surrounding the building. With my super speed I shot toward the first available window, stopping right before I hit it at two hundred mph. I grabbed my knife out of my boots, then eased the window open.

For being a high security building, they were really missing the high security part.

Once I was inside, I tried to contact Angel. My baby was in here somewhere. I tried not to think about what could be happening to her.

_Angel! Can you hear me? _I mentally shouted at her.

_MAX! HELP US! _Angel's cry broke my heart. Even in her mental words, I could feel her pain.

_I'm coming, baby, _I told her. _Where are you?_

I got a faint sense of direction, like I could feel where she was.

I took off, ready to kill everyone who had ever hurt my family.

I wish I knew who had taken Fang from me. I would rip his head off and put it on a stake.

Fang, help me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hehe...**

* * *

**YES! I know its been a month since I updated.... would me being really really sorry help?? Wait, what are you doing with that crowbar... wait aaahhh! ****Sorry, everyone!! I just got really busy... so here is the next chapter!!! **

I am Maximum Ride. I am Maximum Ride.

Fearless leader. Invincible fighter.

I practically laughed at my attempts to ready myself. Come on, I was not what I used to be. I was broken. Not me. Other.

I moved quickly through the school, which had a suspicious lack of occupants. Where was everyone?

_Trap. Watch out, Max._

Fang was back again. God, Angel was going to be laughing her head off when she read my mind...

or not.

My Angel, my baby was here, probably being tortured.

God. If my kids weren't depending on me, there would be nothing stopping me from throwing myself off a cliff. Wings tucked in.

God.

Fang, what now? I thought in my head. At least I had the brains left to remember not to say it out loud.

_You can do this_, He told me.

I took a deep breath. Fang is right, I told myself. You have to save the flock.

I crept down a hallway, following Angel's faint call. From her mind. It was like I was pulled towards her.

Finally, I reached a door, with a sign that said, AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

Angel was in there. I slowly pulled the handle. To my surprise, it actually opened. Where was everyone? God, it had never been this easy to go anywhere!

Crap!

This was so obviously a trap, that I didn't know why I was walking into it.

_Because Angel's in there. Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge...me_.

Wait.

Wait.

Fang? Are you in there? I tried asking him.

He didn't answer, of course.

If there was a chance he was alive...?

But I saw him die! He died, in my arms... Was the whole thing another game? Was Jeb doing this to me?

His name made me curl my fists in anger. It would be just like Jeb to do this sort of thing. He would want to test my physical and emotional limits. To the max. Betrayal. I hated him. He was like my dad, and he betrayed me. us.

I pushed open the door.

"ANGEL!" I yelled. You might be thinking, geez, max, way to be sneaky.

Well, you didn't see what I did.

My baby, my six-year old baby, fighting hundreds of erasers. Their bloodthirsty eyes were locked on her.

Angel had so many bruises, and even gaping wounds. Erasers were literally tearing her apart. Flashbacks of the hotel bathroom made me want to puke...

_PULL IT TOGETHER, MAX!_

Fang, as usual, had my back... even if he was dead...

I jumped into action, punching and kicking my way towards Angel. God, there were so many of them.

But you know what? No one can beat a savage Max.

"Angel, grab my hand!" I yelled at her when I was close enough.

"Max! Get away!" Angel screamed. She struggled to get farther away from me.

Well, that was weird...

I ran towards her, swinging her up into my arms. Then my head shorted out, and I fell into darkness.

**So... I know its short, but it seemed like a good place to stop. I'm almost done with the next one, though!!!**

**There's a really pretty green button right...there!!!!**

**it wants to be pushed! C'mon!!!**

**reviews make me write faster :)**


	4. False Hope?

**Hey, Folks! Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em comin'! ~Bellahelen**

My head hurt. It pounded, like I had been run over by a truck. No, scratch that, like the truck had run over me, then reversed and hit me again to make sure I was dead. Ouch.

I struggled into a sitting position. Oh, great. I was in a dog crate. And everyone knows that nothing that involved a dog crate could ever be good....

"Max, are you okay?" Gazzy's little whisper floated into my still throbbing head.

GAZZY!

"Gazzy, are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are the others?" I bombarded him with whispered questions.

"We're all here." Iggy said next to me.

We were in a small, dark, room, with our crates squished into a corner. Iggy's was to the left of mine, Gazzy's to the right, and Nudge's and Angel's in front.

"Max, I'm sorry! It was a trap, they stuck something in me, so that when you touched me, it would shock you really hard." Angel said quickly.

"Angel, it's not your fault. I can't believe that we're together again, and that everyone's okay," I gushed.

Not everyone. My smile froze on my face. I tried to keep from bawling on the spot.

Angel didn't. She read my mind, and burst into tears.

"Fang was in the hotel room!" She sobbed. "They killed him, didn't they!"

"Angel, honey, it's okay." I stretched my hand as far as it would go through the bars of my cage, trying to reach her. The rest of the flock did the same, so that our fingers brushed each others' in the middle.

The Gasman was crying too. Tear streaks made lines down his grubby face.

Iggy was trying not to cry, probably staying strong for the kids, but his face looked pretty wet before he wiped it on his sleeve. "No, not possible..." he kept muttering in a broken voice.

Nudge was not talking, but was sobbing quietly. She had to be really upset for her to try to be quiet.

God, I was being so callus. Fang was dead. Fang was dead. Fang was dead.

"Max, We didn't get to say goodbye." Angel's voice caught in her throat. And that's all it took.  
The waterfall started flowing.

I tried to quiet my own sobs, because it wouldn't help the kids deal with this, but it was like sticking my finger in the Mississippi.

We were all sobbing over our lost Flock member.

God, how was I going to do this by myself? Fang was my best friend, he and I were unstoppable together.

_Max, stay strong_. Fang, I can't.

Angel froze, staring at me.

"Max..." She said wonderingly. Then her face lit up.

Angel, he's dead. It's just my own crazy head. I thought this as hard as I could, hoping she would hear it.

Angel shook her head. "Max, I can feel him."

Four words that almost stopped my heart, again. I think false hope was going to kill me someday.

"Angel, he's dead. I saw him die." Please let her be right. Please let her be right.

"No, he's at the School, somewhere around here." she concentrated for a moment. Then she frowned. "I can't feel him anymore."

God. God. God. God. Holy Mother of God.

Help me. Anyone. Help.

I was drowning again. Angel, how could you do that to me?

Crap, she heard that.

Angel's eyes started filling up again, but she still shook her head emphatically.

"Max, I heard him in your head! He is here, he is!"

Way to go, Max. it wasn't her fault, just her mind reading thing going wacko. Or just me going wacko. hm.

"Ange?" Gazzy said quietly. "What did you hear?"

"I heard Fang in Max's head, saying 'Max, stay strong'. Then I felt him somewhere close to here. I swear!"

Gazzy perked up a little. "Angel isn't really wrong much...." he began slowly.

Crap. They were getting hopeful. There was no hope. He was dead. I saw it.

But a small voice in my head (Mine, not anyone else's) whispered that Fang had said that he was here.

_I am_.

I shot upright, slamming my head into the top of the cage.

I looked at Angel. She'd heard it too.

"I can feel him again! He's one floor up... somewhere... oh shoot, it's gone again." Angel definitely looked hopeful now. Really, I was feeling a little hopeful, too. No, Max! Nothing is true until proven...

I could not have these hopes dashed. I wasn't strong enough for it.

Iggy looked in my direction, as if waiting for directions.

A plan... right, that's what I needed.

"Okay, everyone," I began. "First we need to get out of here, then we'll find Fang and blow this joint!"

Everyone grinned. If Angel was wrong, I don't know how we would deal with it.

"I'm not." Angel said, frowning at me.

I winked at her. "Of course you're not, sweetie. You're never wrong."

I looked at Iggy.

"Igs, try to pick your lock. Do you still have your kit?"

He shook his head. "No, but I think I can break it anyway." he grabbed hold of the lock on his dog crate. Everyone held their breath as he worked. Even Nudge. I know, surprising.

A few excruciating seconds later, we heard a click.

"Done." Iggy said proudly.

"Way to go, Iggy!" whisper/yelled Gazzy. I shushed him. Now would not be a good time for someone to hear us.

Iggy then worked on mine.

About a minute later, we all were out of our cages. There is nothing like standing upright after being stuck in those tiny crates.

"Okay, guys. Let's roll. Angel, you lead the way to Fang."

I opened the door, and motioned for everyone to follow me. We were so good at being sneaky when we wanted to.

* * *

Fang, here we come.

**REVIEW PEOPLE! MAKE FANG BE ALIVE BY PUSHING THAT LITTLE GREEN BUTTON, PLEASE! OR MAX WILL RIP OUT YOUR SPINE AND BEAT YOU WITH IT! NO PRESSURE!**


	5. Running Hoping

**I messed up. Bad. Don't I know it. I am soooo sorry it has been so long. Blame physics, not me. But it wasn't exactly my fault.... sort of.**

**Read and review!!**

**~Bellahelen**

_Fang, here we come. _

It was dead silent in the hallway. I'm serious. There was no sound at all.

It was the silence that had my adrenaline pumping so hard. It was so quiet, like the calm before a storm.

Fang? Where are you?

Okay, so the crazy girl talking to herself didn't even have a voice that spoke back to her. Great.

I knew, right then, that if Angel was wrong, I would not live through it.

I swear to God, I would die on the spot of heart failure.

Angel threw me a worried look. The guards on my mind were sort of falling apart, so she could pretty much hear every thought I had. Lovely, just lovely.

Angel grinned in what she must have thought was a reassuring way, but really it just made me more antsy.

All five of us were sneaking down the rows of doors. Angel had said one floor above us.

The door to the stairway was clearly marked. This was way too easy. I didn't get it. Why lock us up if they were practically going to lay out the yellow brick road for us to follow?

_Trap, Max._ Fang again.

Angel perked up beside me.

"He's up one floor, nine doors from the stairs on the left."

I gave her a grin and a hair ruffle.

"Nice one, Angel" I heard Iggy whisper.

The stairwell was one of those really cramped, windowless shafts. Just dandy for those claustrophobic bird kids attempting to escape.

I looked back at my flock. My heart really swelled with outrage at the scientists who had taken them. Everyone looked beat, dirty, and bruised.

But there was that light in their eyes that meant they were ready for blood. That's my flock

We ran up the stairs and to the next floor. Again, the same hallway filled with doors.

Running down the hallway now, me counting off the doors in my head. Or maybe I was saying it out loud. I didn't really know or care.

The ninth door on the left. I stood in front of it.

Nudge touched my back, as if asking why I was hesitating. I stood there, my hand on the door, for what seemed like hours, but could have only been a few seconds.

What if Fang was in there? What had they done to him? And how was he speaking in my head?

What if Fang _wasn't_ in there?

"Max, move" Iggy said quietly. He knew. They all did. They knew what it would mean for all of us if we didn't find Fang in there. The end. That's it. It would all be over. There would be no more _Us_. Because Us was all six of us, not four or five. I remembered that time when we were here six months ago, when Angel had been captured. We had sat on a cliff close to the School, surrounded by hawks. I had told them how much they meant to me. I needed all of them to feel whole myself.

I took a deep, hopefully calming breath.

* * *

"Let's blow this joint." I whispered. Then I threw open the door.

**CLIFF HANGER! BUT DON'T WORRY!**

**I'll have the next part up tomorrow at some point.! REDUCE, REUSE, and REVIEW!!!**


	6. Cold Fury

**BACK AGAIN!!!! READ AND REVIEW!**

Oh my god.

Trap was right. There were hundreds of them. Erasers. I mean it. They were everywhere.

Crap. I had just led my flock to their death. Or at least their recapture.

"Heads up." I said unnecessarily.

Even Iggy could hear their breathing.

"Guys, turn around, get out of the room, and find an exit," I instructed them. "Fang and I will meet you at the hawk cave as soon as we can."

"Max, you are full of it." Iggy scoffed at me. "you really think we are gonna leave you here?" He grinned at me.

'Iggy, that's an order. Now get out!" I whispered to him as forcefully as possible.

"We are brave, too, Max." Gazzy said to me. Nudge nodded.

I gave Iggy an imploring look that was wasted on him. At least let him get the kids out.

"Maximum Ride."

I turned slowly at my name.

Jeb. Of course.

'Fancy meeting you here, Jeb." I faked surprise. "Did we interrupt a meeting for the International I'm-a-Loser Convention? Because, please, you're welcome to go back to it. We'll just be having a look around."

As I spoke to Jeb, I searched the room for Fang. He had to be somewhere.

"Max, I know you're upset. You lost one of your flock." Jeb sounded so disgustingly pitying.

Something about his tone made me instantly suspicious. He knew something I didn't.

"You are going to tell me exactly where he is." I snarled at him, baring my fists.

The erasers took menacing steps toward me.

Jeb just sighed.

"You haven't been acting like a leader, Max. You've acted like a child. You must remember your true purpose."

That stung me. But, since it's me, I of course had a snappy comeback.

"Really? Cause my purpose is kicking your butt from here to next Tuesday. Which I'm dangerously close to completing." I grinned maliciously at him.

I was going to make him sorry. Sorrier than he had ever been before.

"Max, your childish ways must be stopped. You are supposed to save the world, but you can't do that when you go running off after your own desires. Keep your mission foremost."

"Excuse me?" I yelled at him. "I am not 'running after my own desires'. I am saving a life. And killing you, while I'm at it."

Angel tugged on my shirt.

_I know where Fang is. _She told me this with her mind, of course.

Good job, honey. I winked at her. I'll distract them, you and the others get him to the cliff.

She nodded at me.

I tapped Iggy's hand twice.

"Max, you don't understand."

"Oh, I understand enough, Jeb." I was tired of this, now. I was ready to let all hell break loose. "I understand that this is not going to be pretty."

Then, I leaped toward his head.

My fist collided with his nose, making blood spurt two feet away. I immediately scissor-kicked the closest eraser. I let my rage at the School drive me. I was almost on autopilot, punch, kick, punch, dodge, whack.

I didn't really feel the blows, but was in a sort of daze.

I was wondering if the kids had gotten away. I wondered if they had found Fang.

I guess it was only a few minutes later, but I looked up to see all the erasers on the floor, unconscious.

I was freaking awesome.

I had never single-handedly defeated so many Erasers, before. It felt good. My limbs were on fire.

Then I remembered Jeb.

I whirled, but didn't see him anywhere. Damn.

_Max, get your butt over here, soon._

It was Angel.

Don't use that language with me, Missy. I told her, not sure whether she could hear me or not.

She mentally giggled. Don't ask me how.

I whirled around and headed out the door.

And saw a familiar lab coat swing out of view into the door across from me. I kicked it open, to find Jeb at a computer.

"That was very impressive, Max." He told me calmly. As if he wasn't about to become cat food.

"I don't need your praise, not anymore." I told him, just as calmly.

Then I leaped for his throat.

I hit him with such force that we both fell over. I ended up on top of Jeb, straddling his chest, my hands around his throat.

His face slowly got bluer.

_Stop, Maximum. You're not yourself._

The Voice. It had been mysteriously absent when I fell apart, but now it was back with a vengeance.

But, it was right. I couldn't kill Jeb. He'd been like a father to me for too many years.

I released his neck.

He gasped, and put a hand to his neck, massaging it.

"Why did you take Fang? Why did you make me think he was dead?" I asked him furiously.

"You needed to be able to handle the pain. You were stronger because of it. Because you were able to carry out some kind of plan, though, albeit, not the greatest." Jeb sighed. "You saw a clone die. We set it up to test your emotional strength. Your dealing with loss."

I nearly screamed. This had all been a test? I had been through all that, for some sick scientists' curiosity?

I grabbed Jeb's shirt front. "Did you do anything to him?"

Jeb shook his head. "Nothing permanent, anyway."

I got off him in a rush. I had to get out of here.

There was a window in this room. Lucky.

I turned back to Jeb.

"I think," I said slowly. "That you deserve this."

Then I punched him on his already broken nose.

He dropped to the floor.

Then I leaped out of the window.

To freedom, to hope. To my family.

**How'd you like iT????**

**Fang and Max reunion next chapter, I think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'**

**JOYJOYJOYJOY!!!**

**Review!**


	7. Flying On

**Last Chapter, Folks. Enjoy, and review.**

The cliff was only a few minutes away from the School, but it felt like hours.

Angel, is Fang with you? I asked in my head.

_Yeah. Max, you should get here soon. He is okay, but something bad is going to happen._

Great. Angel, how do you know this?

_I just do. _

And Angel was never wrong. I sped toward the cliff, finally screeching to a halt in front of the flock.

Angel looked up at me. She, Nudge, Gazzy, and Iggy were all kneeling on the cave floor.

Fang. Oh my god.

I collapsed onto the ground, next to my flock.

Fang was fine. He was sitting with the flock, rolling his eyes at their worried expressions.

"Hey, Max." He said casually.

And I fell to pieces.

I'm not proud of it. Usually I can keep up the bad a** act pretty well.

But he was my best friend. I had spent a whole twelve hours believing he was dead.

Now, my family was with me, Fang's strong, lean arms around me.

I cried into his shoulder, feeling ridiculous, but not really caring.

Fang was alive. Fang was alive. Not dead.

God.

It was like waking from a nightmare, realizing that your worst fears were only a dream.

Fang was alive.

I realized I was blubbering. Sobbing his name. Oh, geez. Someone punch me.

But, I was so happy to have my family together again. We were all safe, we were all alive, and relatively happy.

It was all I needed in life. These five people.

After a few minutes, when my sobbing had calmed, Nudge drew back a little.

"Hey, guys? I'm hungry. I know it's like the worst time in the world to say that, but I'm starving, and they didn't feed us that well while we were in there. I know that this is, like, our reunion, and all that, but can we do this like at an IHOP or something?" The nudge channel was back.

I giggled. Then I couldn't stop laughing. Everyone looked at me, then starting cracking up, too.

We laughed for a long time, a sort of cleansing experience. We were erasing all the horror from the past day.

Fang stopped laughing first.

"Yo. You guys go find somewhere to eat. I need to talk to Max." I looked at him.

He looked sort of different. I guess that being in the School kind of did that.

"What happened?" I asked him. "At the hotel, I mean."

Fang exhaled quickly.

"Same as usual. We turn our backs, they bag us. We wake up in the school."

I realized that my face was still wet. I quickly tried to wipe my face off without Fang noticing.

He noticed, obviously. Ugh.

"What happened to you?" Fang asked, his dark eyes penetrating mine.

Now it was my turn to take a deep breath.

"I came back to the hotel room. But all of you were gone. Fang, they set it up. They set it up so that I would think that...." I stifled another sob.

"Think what?" Fang asked quietly.

I didn't answer him right away. Instead I stared at a rock by my knee.

"There was blood. It was on the bed. I came into the bathroom, and...i thought it was you, but it was really only your clone. He looked exactly like you. He even acted like you. How was I supposed to know that it wasn't you, bleeding to death on the floor? I didn't exactly have a moment to think about things. You were dying. Or," I turned my eyes to him again. "I thought you were, anyway."

Fang was silent. Shocker.

Then he grinned. "You shoulda known. You know that no one can kill me. Mr. Invincible."

I punched him in the arm. "Fang, you're an idiot." Then I smiled at him.

I thought about what I'd said to the clone as I watched him die. _I love you and I can't live without you!_

I also briefly thought about telling the real Fang that.

Guess what? I chickened.

It was true. I did love him. But I wasn't about to tell him that. He had teased the mickey out of me when I had been drugged up on Valium, and had basically said the same thing. Yeah, so not happening.

But I couldn't live without him.

Instead of admitting this completely embarrassing truth, I just wrapped my arms around him.

Fang stiffened at first, but he loosened up and hugged me back tightly.

"I hope you didn't forget my promise." He said in my ear.

"What promise?" I murmured.

"I will never leave you."

"I know."

I lifted my head from his shoulder. Our faces were inches apart.

He leaned toward me. My eyes closed.

Our lips brushed.

"MAAAX! We found IHOP!" Nudge's excited squeals made Fang and I jump about two feet in the air, then move quickly away from each other. My cheeks were on fire. The flock appeared two seconds later.

"I want some pancakes!" Gazzy exclaimed as he landed back in the cave.

He was followed by Iggy, Nudge, and Angel.

"Are you guys done talking now?" Angel asked me.

I smiled at her. "Pretty much. Who wants some pancakes? Say aye!"

A loud chorus of "Aye"s sounded.

I looked at my flock, then held out my fist. Everyone stacked theirs on top of mine. Then tapped our fists. Our Flock Stack.

We were a family.

"IHOP, here we come!" I yelled as I jumped off the side of the cliff. The others followed after me.

Somehow, flying up in the sky, through the blue sky, I felt the happiest I had felt in... ever.

I met Fang's gaze.

He gave his signature half-grin, the one that set my heart racing in my chest.

We had some serious talking to do, about... Us. There, I said it. Sue me.

We also had to talk about what the School had been planning for us. I needed to figure out if I was going crazy, or if the School had made me hear Fang's voice, as part of the ruse. Or if it had somehow been Fang himself. I needed to figure out Angel's cryptic warning. _Something bad is going to happen_. I had to figure out what Jeb was up to.

But that could wait.

Right now, the sky was calling our names.

* * *

Fly On.

**The End!!! maybe i'm just a sucker for happy endings, but this story ended on a totally happy moment, not like how it started.**

**Review, please!**

**There is a sequel planned out, so review and tell me if you want me to continue with this story!!!!**


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